Showbiz Wednesday (plus some cows)

Tom Cruise has been dropped by Paramount because “his recent conduct has not been acceptable”. There are rumours that he stormed into their offices and locked himself in a cupboard.

Bob Dylan is ranting about modern music being tuneless. Everybody thinks the next generation has no musical taste. Looks like he’s just another bitter old guy – what a shame.

Remember the guy who was mistakenly, and endearingly, interviewed on BBC News? Somebody’s thinking of making a movie about it. Seems rather odd – there’s really enough material there? – but interesting nonetheless.

The BBC has refused to broadcast a radio comedy show because of a sketch involving Rolf Harris painting Mohammed cartoons. The reason given was “anxieties over taste and decency”, not that they’re cowtowing to crazy people.

Madonna and her husband are lobbying the government with a proposal to treat nuclear waste with magical Kaballah water. According to The Times a BNFL spokesman said “the scientific mechanisms and principles were just bollocks, basically”. I have a suspicion that there’ll be real scientific breakthroughs in the dispoal of nuclear waste before too long. There are bacteria capable of breaking down radioactive material, and it seems like we just need to figure out how to use them to our advantage.

Tom and Jerry cartoons are to be edited to remove scenes of smoking, after an Ofcom investigation into a crackpot concerned viewer’s complaint. I think we can all agree that this is pretty stupid.